Despite the fact that online sleuths managed to identify the names of all eighteen of its castmembers over the last few weeks, CBS has officially announced the names and biographical information of the castaways who will compete in Survivor: Vanuatu -- Islands of Fire, which premieres Thursday, September 16 at 8PM ET/PT.

ADVERTISEMENT

During an unveiling on CBS's The Early Show, program co-host Julie Chen (who also doubles as the network's Big Brother host) announced the identities of the show's eighteen new castaways (an increase from the show's previous non-All-Stars standard of sixteen) and chatted with Survivor: All-Stars couple Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano. Amber and Rob once again teased fans with discussion of a televised wedding, with Rob telling Julie (who's reportedly planning her own "CBS family" wedding) that "we're working on it" with Amber adding "it's a pretty big possibility."

As in Spring 2003's Survivor: The Amazon, Survivor: Vanuatu will initially pit the men versus the women, with the women's tribe being called Yasur (with yellow as its tribal color) and the men's tribe being called Lopevi (with red as its tribal color.)

Survivor: Vanuatu -- Islands of Fire takes place on the islands of Vanuatu, located in the remote waters of the South Pacific near the tumultuous "Ring Of Fire," a land of volcanoes and rituals where sorcery and black magic are a part of tribal life and the spirits of the dead are believed to have power over the living. The island chain is comprised of over 80 islands that are home to a diverse group of tribes and clans whose history includes cannibalism and features more than 100 hundred languages.